What Are The Best Hair Transplant Methods?

Hair loss might be part of life, but that doesn’t mean you need to live with it. Around 85 percent of men will have noticeable hair loss by the age of 50, according to the American Hair Loss Association. Women can also experience hair loss. About 40 percent of hair loss sufferers are women. Surgical hair restoration, also known as a hair transplant, can minimize the appearance of hair loss and reduce balding. In 2016, 16,784 hair restoration surgeries were performed, an increase of 8 percent from the year before, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Learn more about the best hair transplant methods and how to choose the method that’s right for you.

Strip Harvesting

Strip harvesting is an older method of hair restoration. Although it’s been around for years, it is still considered a "gold standard" hair transplant method. During strip harvesting surgery, the hair restoration surgeon removes a small strip of the scalp which contains plenty of donor hair follicles. The area the strip was harvested from is closed with stitches. The surgeon then transplants those follicles to the area of the scalp where there is hair loss.

Several factors make strip harvesting an ideal hair transplant method for certain patients. For one thing, removing all the donor hair follicles at once allows a surgeon to harvest more donor hair. A greater area of hair loss can be treated using the method. The results from strip harvesting might also be more predictable, since the follicles all come from the same area. The method is also ideal for women and men who have long hair, as there is no need to cut the hair short and the remaining hair will effectively conceal the scar.

Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)

Follicular unit extraction, or FUE, is meant to be the more updated and advanced hair transplant method. Instead of removing a strip of scalp to harvest hair follicles, the surgeon performing FUE removes individual follicles, one by one. The major benefit of the method over strip harvesting is that there is no linear scar after the hair is harvested. There’s also no need for stitches or for waiting for an incision to heal.

When performed by an experienced hair restoration surgeon, FUE has a high rate of success and requires minimal surgeries. Many patients get the results they want after just a single procedure. The one drawback of the method is that it requires the hair to be cut short, so people who wish to wear their hair long might be better off choosing strip harvesting.

The hair restoration specialists at Chuback Medical Group, which offers hair transplant New Jersey patients, perform both FUE and strip harvesting methods. To find out which method is the best for you, call 844-261-7020 and schedule an appointment through Brianna today.